Blade for resilient wheels



Mamh 1951 .1. M. M LEAN 2,544,889

BLADE FOR RESILIENT WHEELS I Filed Feb. 5, 19457 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y x WW /4 ATT'YS March 13,1951 M, MacLEAN 2,544,889

BLADE FOR RESILIENT WHEELS Filed Feb. 5, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR M- MAC LEAN Patented Mar. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES eATENT OFFICE BLADE FORBESILIENT WHEELS J amesMatthew MacLean, Detroit, Mich. 7 Application-February 5,1947, SerialNo. 726,643

This invention. relates to inclined blades for resilient wheels the latte being of a type disclosed by my Patent No. 2,409,052, and my :co-pending application for Enclosed Resilient Wheels, Serial No. 714,743, now matured into. Patent No..

blade member to increase the. stress capacity of the wheel over and above that of my former wheels for the same unit width of wheel.

A still further object of the presentinvention is to provide a resilient wheel with inclined blades,

said blades being inclined in a predetermined manner to overcome particular stress conditions withregard to axial thrust on the wheel,

.With these and other objects in view, my present invention generally relates to the disposition of the blade of a resilient wheel at an angle to the rotational axis to increase the bonding area of theresilient material inter-connecting the rim and hub components of the wheel. The simplest form proposed reveals a structure similar to that described in my Patent No. 2,409,012, but the blade members are inclined relative to the axis of the wheel. The preferred form in this connection is that in which the blade members of a pair of wheels mounted on a common axle have their sides, adjacent the inner sides of the wheel, inclined forwardly in the direction of the normal forward motion of the axle. A further form is evidenced in the incorporation of inclined blades in my enclosed wheel to provide anincreased bonding surface as between the resilient bonding medium and the blades of this simple structure disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 714,743. A still further modification is disclosed which is characterized by a plurality of blade members extending from rim and hub elements wherein blad members have a substantially 2 section, all of such sections being inclined in the same manner relative to the axis of the wheel, this same structure havingring members connecting all the blades Of the hub and connecting all the blades of the rim substantially as indic ted in my a t N 2,40 Th preferred embodiment of the present invention, however, is that of alternately disposed 2 section type blade members, the blades of the hub being. disposed 6 Claims. (Cl. 29511) in one continuous relation and the blades of the rim being disposed in an alternate manner to provide a wheel which is characterized by presentconditions substantially independent of the direction of movement of the vehicle through which the wheel is attached. The final modification embodied in th present invention is the alternate disposition of inclined blades in my enclosed type of wheel.

Other objects of the present invention will be revealed by a study of the followingspecification taken in conjunction with he cc mp nyin drawings:

In. the drawings,

Fi ure .1 is a cutaway v ew of a wheel a cording to the present invention revealing the blades ofthehub and rim element s. inclined relative to he axis of thewheel.

Figure 2 is a view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 indicating the blades of the hub and rim in section and showing the. rings for. clarity.

Figure 3 is a cutaway View of the inclined blades of an enclosed type of resilient wheel.

Figure 4 is a view on the line 4.4' of Figure 3 showing the cutaway side, and ring for purposes of clarity.

Figure 5 is a cutaway view of a resilient wheel having inclined blades which extend partially to enclose the wheel, each having .a Z type section. Figure 6 is a view on the line 66 of Figure 5 indicating the Z type. of section employed in this disposed in spaced. apart relation.

, modification of the blade andshowing the rings .101 clarity.

Figure 7 is a View of a pair of wheels according to Figure I mounted on a common axle and indicating the preferred disposition of the blades .for a, certain direction of normal movement of the -axle.

* Figure 1.0 reveals thefinal modification accord ingtothe present invention indicating alternately disposed blades extending from the rim element andthe hub element and incorporated in the enclosed type of resilient wheel.

Referring o the d awings, th p s t Wheel comprises a. hub element A and a rim element B h ving blade memb rs in. an H r spe i ly p .A force is transmitted from one element. tothe other by means or a resilien bo ingmedium Gas described in my former applications and which separates the blades Ill from the blades II.

The wheel of Figure 1 has a ring member l2 connecting all the hub blades 10 and a ring member l3 connecting the inner extremities of the rim blades II as seen in Figure 2. Th present invention particularly concerns the position of the blades l and H as revealed in Figure 2 which indicates an angular disposition of each blade member relative to the axis of rotation of the wheel. This construction results in increased bonding surface of the resilient bonding material C (Figure 1) to each blade for a certain unit width of wheel and further it will be observed that the rigidity of each blade member is improved with regard to a force applied to the wheel directly at right angles to the axis of rotation thereof.

The same advantages will accrue to the adaption of this invention to an enclosed type of resilient wheel as indicated in Figure 3. Here the hub element A not only includes the blade members H! but also a side member l5 extending therefrom and formed in the same casting. Similarly the rim element B also includes a side member l6 incorporated in the casting of the blades ll and the rim. Advantages of this type of structure not only rest in those set forth in connecton with the wheel disclosed in Figure l but are also found in the manner in which the resilient bonding material C (Figure 3) is enclosed between the blades and the side of the wheel. It will be apparent that a force applied to the wheel, tending to cause the blades Ma and Ila to come together due to the inclination of these blades, will tend to cause the side members I5 and i6 to spread apart due to the resolution of the forces on the faces of the blade. If such a force were applied to a wheel as it progressed around a curve this spreading function would substantially oppose the side thrust of the vehicle tending to bring the side members it and 16 in closer proximity.

The modification of a resilient wheel indicated by Figure 5 is a development of that of Figure 3 and shows the blade members [8 and I9 of the hub element A and rim element B respectively having side flanges 20 and 2 l. The result is that each blade member presents a Z type of section as indicated in Figure 6. The flanges thereof substantially enclosing the sides of the wheel but allowing clearances 22 which may be utilized for breathing in the resilient bonding medium C (Figure 5) Rings 23 and 24 are shown connecting the extremities of the blade in the manner indicated by the figures of the above-mentioned wheels. It is obvious, of course, that the rings may be omitted on one side if desired 'or may be omitted altogether depending upon the stress conditions to which the wheel is to be subjected.

In all the forms above described, that is those shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5 and sections thereof, there is a preferred inclination of the blade members depending on the relation of the wheel to its normal direction of movement. Thus referring to Figure 7 it will be observed that the wheels 25 and 25 have their blades inclined to alleviate side thrust deflection at maximum stress condition upon the wheel, that is, application of the brakes to the hub of the wheel as it proceeds around a curve. The arrow D indicates the normal direction of movement of the axle 21' and its wheels 25 and 26 corresponding to normal forward movement of the vehicle to which these wheels are attached. It will be observed that the hub blades 25a. and rim blades 25b of the wheel 25 are inclined forwardly on their outer edges relative to the axis of the wheel and a similar disposition of the blades 26a and 26b is observed in the wheel 26. Due to this inclination of blades a component of side thrust tending to move the hub blades 25a in a direction outwardly of the wheel would be translated in the direction of the rim blade 2%. Application of brakes to the hub structure under this condition increases the compression of the resilient bonding material C between the blades 25a and 251), the resultant thereof tending to counter-act side thrust. Since under this condition of loading there is very little load of the vehicle on the wheel 26, that is, when the axle 21 and hub blade 25a are urged in a direction outwardly of the wheel 25, then the stresses in the wheel 25 will be relatively small in comparison, and the seeming disadvantageous disposition of the rim and hub blades in that instance cannot approach a critical point under predictable conditions of loading. In any event, the bonding of the resilient material C to the blade members 2501. and 251) can be substantially depended on since a large area is presented by the blade members to the rubber surface resulting in a wheel which has a large bond capacity.

Where it is desired that a wheel undergo many reversals of stress under different types of side thrust loading it is preferable to incline the blades alternately in the wheel. Thus in Figure 8, a wheel substantially similar to that disclosed in Figures 5 and 6 is shown but the hub blades 28 have their blade portions 29 inclined oppositely relative to the axis of the Wheel as compared with the inclination of the blade portions 30 of the rim blades 3 I. The result is that the resilient material C separating the hub and rim elements is confined as at Cl when the blades 31a. and 2811 are subjected to a force tending to move them together. Also the body of resilient material C2 is confined where the blades 3 I a and 28a are separated by a force in that the blades 3la and 28a co-operate to confine this latter body of resilient material. For clarification, the blades of this type of wheel and the rim and hub elements thereof are shown in Figure 9.

A very efficient and simplified structure of resilient wheel is indicated in Figure 10 and embodies alternately inclined blade members mounted in an enclosed type of wheel formed in the manner indicated in Figure 3. Here the hub element A has blade members 32 extending from the side member 33 and blade members 34 are also shown extending from the side member 35 of the rim element B. The blades 32 and 35 are inclined alternately relative to the axis of the wheel as shown. The resolution of side thrust components can readily be visualized with respect to Figure 10 by those skilled in the art.

It is relevant to point out with regard to all wheels shown that the characteristics of the resilient bonding material C largely govern the functions above described with reference to the inclination of the blades for certain stress conditions. For instance, it is well-known that most resilient materials may be stretched a greater deilection from normal than they can be compressed. More specifically, it may be stated that if a value of tensile stress were to be assumed and that the same stress in compression was to be attained that rubber, say, would have a much greater stretch deflection for that stress than the deflection for a similar value of compressive stress. This peculiar property is particularly important 7 in connection with my present type of wheels which employ inclined blades, since the blades are so inclined as to transmit the larger portion of the stress by compression of the resilient material. It is for' this reason, therefore, that in the above discussion the tensile property of the resilient bonding material was substantially neglected.

Although I have shown rings mounted in conjunction with the extremities of the blades of some wheels, it is apparent that these' may be omitted altogether if desired, depending on the section modulus according to load specification at the root of the hub or rim blades. Further, it will be noted that where braking is applied to the rims of the wheels 25 and 26 of Figure 7, that for the inclination of blades shown the preferred direction of normal forward movement is that indicated by the phantom arrow D1. It is also apparent that modifications may lie in the sectional contour of the blades without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is; therefore, intended that the present disclosure should not be limited in any way other than that indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A resilient wheel comprised of two main structural components in the form of a rim element and a hub element operatively arranged in concentric relation to one another and having load supporting means in connection with each of said elements, and a filling material having resilient characteristics disposed between said elements and in contact with said load supportin means; surfaces on said load supporting means disposed to resist side thrust deflection of one element relative to the other element under side thrust load conditions, said surfaces being inclined relative to the axis of rotation of said wheel.

2. A wheel as defined in claim 1 and means extending from connection to the rim substantially enclosing one side of the wheel and means extending outwardly from connection to the hub to substantially enclose the other side of the wheel.

4. A wheel comprised "of two main structural components in the form of a rim element and a hub element operatively arranged in concentric relation to one another, each of said elements having radially disposed blades projecting therefrom of a length shorter than the distance between the hub and rim, each blade of each element being disposed between a pair of blades of the other element and in circumferentially spaced apart relation to the blades of the other element, and a filling material having resilient characteristics disposed in the space between said elements and in contact with the blades thereof; surfaces on said blades disposed to resist side thrust deflection due to axial displacement of one element relative to the other element under side thrust load conditions, said surface being inclined relative to the axis of rotation of said Wheel.

5. A wheel as defined in claim 4 and means extending from connection to the rim substantially enclosing one side of the wheel and means extending outwardly from connection to the hub to substantially enclose the other side of the wheel.

6. A wheel as defined in claim 4 and flanges extending from said blades and partially enclosing the sides of said wheel.

JAMES MATTHEW MACLEAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

- UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,868,163 Evans July 19, 1932 1,948,304 Moas Feb. 20, 1934 1,956,195 Klein Apr. 25, 1934 2,105,702 Scholtze Jan. 18, 1938 2,409,052 MacLean Oct. 8, 1946 

